And finally...Memphis

June 27, 2009
Today, we went to the Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee. The first part of the museum was essentially a timeline of the Civil Rights Movement, all the way from the Civil War up until today. The second building of the museum was a detailed look at the situation involving MLK’s murder, including showing the window through which James Earl Ray looked as he shot at Dr. King’s hotel. It was an unnerving experience. But for me, the most interesting and inspiring part of our museum visit was the video about Billy Kyles, and the speech he presented to us afterwards. He was one of two preachers who were with Dr. King when he died. He was very closely involved with Mr. King and the movement in Memphis. The movie was a powerful portrayal of King’s last days, including his final speech-the infamous “Mountaintop Speech.” In this speech, King had seemed to accept his imminent death, but had even more fire and passion because of it. After his death, Kyles preached that “You can kill the dreamer, but you cannot kill the dream,” because King’s death seemed to only heighten the African Americans’ desire for freedom. I was so amazed by the bravery that King showed as he urged his people to keep fighting, even while he was almost certain that he, their leader, would soon be gone. But I was even more amazed by the bravery that his followers showed as they used his death to further the movement. After the movie, we were all shocked to see the same Billy Kyles that we had just been watching on TV enter the room. He was a tall, thin man, with a quiet presence, but a strong and sure presence nonetheless. His speech was inspiring. He spoke of the tomorrow that we, as young adults, will have to create. He spoke of how the Civil Rights Movement was created completely by young adults, and asked us, “What will you be doing with your life by the time you’re 40?” He told us that there is no limit, not even the sky. I had never really considered that maybe I could make a difference, could be one to do something important, but Kyles inspired me to really strive to do something worthwhile with my life. We all have the potential to do something great, it just depends on whether or not we choose to use it.

-Ellen


Beal Street- Memphis, Tennesee Beal Street was a memorable experience filled with great food and colorful souvenir shops! Upon arriving at the intersection of 2nd and Peabody, I could immediately sense the liveliness of youth from the multiple bars and the countless people strolling along in the sweltering summer heat. The stench of sour beer and recycled grease lingered on the sidewalk as we passed through them. It was truly an amazing site to see and reminded me of the Pike Place Market/downtown Seattle area back home. I loved being able to walk through the wide blocked-off streets, stopping from shop to shop and feeling the ice-cold air conditioning inside alternating with the scorching sun outside. Just the amount of different people gathered there to shop, eat, and look around was an impressing site to see. There was mall with many of the same clothing stores as back in Seattle as well as small Elvis and Memphis souvenir shops. I bought several gifts for my family and friends back at home as well as ate an awesome lunch at Huey’s bar and grill. An exciting place where the walls are covered in writing from year’s of past visitors. The ceiling is also attacked with toothpicks from the burgers and of course they served my absolute new favorite drink of the south, sweet tea. This will be one place that I will be sure to remember as I return home. Satisfying my standards, it was the perfect end to my last full day in Memphis.

-Liz

June 27, 2009 Blog
Today, the 27th of June. A Thursday if I’m not mistaken. In the early morning we started our day at the Lorraine Hotel. The hotel had been reconstructed to become a shrine to the King. It depicted a timeline of the Civil Rights Movement, from the Bus Boycott to King’s death. The Museum across the street was a sort of ‘conspiracy museum.’ Stating the circumstances around King’s death, it consisted of a timeline of the events leading up to his death. The events depicted consisted of his arrival in Memphis, his activities of the day, of the year, and certain actions of the ‘shooter’ and opponents of the King. The case of Martin Luther King’s assassination has been debated as a conspiracy, but never been fully solved. Of course the killer has been caught; however the loss of such a leader monumental to the movement was a large loss for many.
Next we ventured to a lunch on Beale St. This initial impression of Beale Street was a fast-paced mini-adventure of running around, checking stores and finding some decent food. A curiously long ride to STAX recording studio lent hours of educational fun in music. STAX was much like the EMP in Seattle however most of the music was soul, blues, or Motown. There was a dance floor, and thus held the most entertaining part of the tour. We dance there for at least a half hour total. The wonderful music and exhibits promised even more hours of epic music, we had a deadline and were forced to return to Beale Street and shopping. It was a legendary last day.

-Ziggy